Larus armenicus adult, 15 December 2010, Maagan Michael, Israel. Picture: Amir Ben Dov.
One of the late moulting birds in this month overview: P9-P10 still growing. This bird shows fault baring in the inner primaries, but not so extreme as in other samples. Either there was a shortage of food near the breeding grounds, or possibly sickness (botulism) may have been responsible. Some birds do survive the effects of botulism, but most perish.
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